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G-553798
Why is my fuel gauge showing empty even though the tank is full?
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Victor Rusk
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That's a very frustrating problem, and it's a common one with a few possible causes. A fuel gauge that shows empty when the tank is full is usually an electrical issue. Here are the most likely culprits for what's going on:Why is my fuel gauge showing empty even though the tank is full?
- A bad fuel sending unit. This is the most common cause. The fuel sending unit is a part that is located inside your gas tank. It has a float that moves up and down with the fuel level. The float is connected to a resistor that sends a signal to your fuel gauge. If the float gets stuck, or if the resistor fails, it will send an empty signal to your gauge.
- A bad ground wire. The fuel sending unit needs a good ground to work properly. A corroded or loose ground wire can cause the sending unit to send an empty signal.
- A bad fuel gauge. While less common, the gauge itself can fail. If the gauge's internal circuit board fails, it can get stuck on empty.
- A fuse or a relay. A blown fuse or a bad relay can cause the fuel gauge to not work. You should check the fuse box and make sure that all the fuses are good.
To figure out what's going on, you should start with the easiest things first. You can check the fuse box and the ground wire to the fuel tank. If those are good, you will need to get a multimeter and check the resistance of the fuel sending unit. The resistance will change as you move the float up and down. If the resistance does not change, you will know that the sending unit is bad.
If you don't feel comfortable doing this yourself, you should take it to a mechanic. They can do a more in-depth diagnosis and tell you for sure what is going on.